


The Personal Assistant

by River_Songs_wife



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, Post-His Last Vow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Songs_wife/pseuds/River_Songs_wife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate finds Irene in New York</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Personal Assistant

When the notification caused her phone to light up in the middle of the night Kate was quite annoyed. She reached out and unlocked her phone only to see that it was a notification from the alarm system set up in Gramercy Park, New York, the apartment her former employer Miss Irene Adler had owned. But Irene Adler was dead. She had been dead for almost three years. The house had remained empty, Kate hadn’t visited. But her curiosity spiked and she sat up, reaching for her laptop. It seemed that only the motion sensors had been activated, not the burglar alarm. Kate logged into the company, typed in the security code and watched the security cameras sat up in the apartment. 

She gasped. Even on the black and white live feed, in the early morning in New York she knew it was Irene Adler who was leaning against the front door. Kate turned off the alarm expertly, but couldn’t stop staring at the screen. She flicked through the camera sources, following Irene through the apartment. Kate didn’t get much sleep that night or the following nights. She knew spying was wrong. She knew she ought to be angry that Irene had faked her death but all she felt was relief. She watched as Irene slowly moved in. She brought home groceries, turned on the heating and to Kate’s surprise she learned that Irene Adler now seemed to spend most of her time at home, on her laptop. 

She typed in the familiar address to Irene’s website. But nothing had changed. The last message was one she herself had added mere hours after Irene’s death. A good bye. Kate returned to the tab displaying Irene’s life.   
She learned that Irene Adler went for walks or runs every morning except on Thursday. She learned that Irene did the dishes by hand rather than using the dishwasher. She learned that Irene now took showers rather than baths. And that she slept in oversized t-shirts and cotton hipsters. This new Irene was so far from The Woman whom Kate had served in London. But she was a perfect image of the woman Kate had fallen in love with .

Months past, Kate didn’t dare to make contact, she feared it would endanger Irene’s life. So she watched her in secret, from afar. She knew she went by the name Eileen Lawry now and a simple google searched let her know that Eileen Lawry was a wealthy divorcée who liked to play. Kate found her new website easily. The pictures were grainier than Irene would have allowed, but it was her. Even without her face visible, Kate knew the curve of her hips, the shape of her areolas and the small mole right on her hip. Her hair was lighter, a softer honey tone and the close-ups revealed honey coloured eyes. Contacts. The new website had a messaging system. Kate knew it was popular, she had seen Irene sit with her laptop replying to messages for hours at a time. She payed for full access with her company credit card. Who cared if she got fired for this? She had found Irene Adler! 

It took her four days to decide what to write to her. In the end she simply sent her phone number, hoping Irene would recognize it. Messaging system displayed a purple message of ‘delivered’, which was replaced by a ‘read’ only minutes later. But no reply came. Kate continued to watch her in secret. Half a week passed without a reply, though she often saw Irene with both her laptop and her phone, texting and typing away. Then one night, a visitor arrived. Kate bristled with jealousy as she watched a blond woman swoop into the apartment greeting Irene with kisses and hugs. Who was she? Kate was sure she had seen her before, but she couldn’t place her. A client perhaps? When she saw Irene pouring not one, but three glasses of wine the idea was pushed aside. Irene only drank with friends. Moments later a man showed up, pulling a pram inside after him. Kate’s eyes popped. That was Doctor John Watson – Sherlock Holmes’ friend. She would have recognized him everywhere. The woman could be no other than Mary Watson and in the pram their child. 

She knew she shouldn’t watch. But why did John Watson know where Irene was when Kate didn’t? Or at least, wasn’t supposed to know. Why was John and Mary Watson visiting Irene in New York? She tried to turn away from the screen, but it was impossible.   
The trio settled in the lounge room, sipping their wine and talking. Perhaps this wasn’t an uncommon scenario? Kate watched as Irene showed them something on her laptop. The conversation seemed to take a more serious turn then. She watched as Irene pulled out her phone and sent off another text. 

Less than a minute later, Kate’s phone vibrated loudly against her table. She jumped in her seat, surprised by the alert and reached for it. Her eyes watered as she saw the text. The number was unfamiliar, the text consisted of only one character a “<3” but to Kate it spoke volumes. It had been their secret language. It meant peace, forgiveness, I love you, I need you and come to me. Kate stared at her laptop again. Should she reply? Irene had left her hanging for four days, and had needed to talk to friends before knowing what to do. Kate decided a more direct cause of action. She shut the surveillance off and booked herself on the first flight to New York.


End file.
